| Grape variety |
Perricone |
| Synonyms |
in passato perricone nero; oggi noto come perricone del Palermitano, pignatello nel Trapanese e, erroneamente, nerello capuccino nell'agrigentino. |
| Grape colour |
Red grape |
| Variety |
Autochthonous |
| Vigour |
Excellent |
| Ripening |
Second half of September. |
| Productivity |
Good and constant (50-80 q.li per ha). |
| Areas of cultivation |
It is widespread in Sicily, but there are small cultivations on the slopes of Vesuvius. |
| History |
As is often the case for Sicilian grapes, the available information is really scarce and is only recorded from the end of the nineteenth century when the vine was reported under the synonym of Pignatello and largely bred in the province of Palermo and Trapani more to vinify the Marsala Ruby in assembly with other local grapes. Among the few documents available there are mentionings by Nicolosi both in 1870 and in the Ampelographic Bulletin of 1883, and in 1905 by Paulsen. Under the synonym of Pignatello is described by Pastena in 1973. The vine was also reported in the provinces of Caltanissetta and Agrigento. The synonym Pignatello seems to refer to the dialect of the pignatidar used to define the red alpine red soil of Trapani where there was a high production of "pignatte" for cooking, pots in terracotta of which archaeological evidence belonged even to the neolithic. And in this ancient territory that originated in ancient times the cultivation of Perricone, used very widely until the mid-twentieth century. During this period both the vine and the Marsala saw a sharp reduction in both exports and popularity due to poor vinification management, more to produce quantity and quality, and greatly compromised the image of this favorite wine for centuries, On the English market. This infamous period for Marsala also jeopardized the extinction of the vine, fortunately saved by a new oenological culture that saw in their names of controlled origin their hub with which the most notorious Sicilian growers managed to leverage on the palates of the enthusiasts to reproduce Quality wines at national level. |
| Ampelographic features |
Leaf: medium, round pentagonal; Trilobata, quinquelobata or whole; Petiole breast more or less open; Sometimes very sluggish enough to resemble an U; Shallow side breasts, V more or less open; Fairly flat lobes; Angle at the top of the terminal lobes tending to the hollow; Top page dark green color, slightly wrinkled edge surface, glabra, smooth; Bottom page pale green color, glabra; The main green ribs, both on the top and the bottom; Protruding those of I and II order; Thin flap, flat; Sometimes slightly and partially twisted; Rather pronounced teeth, irregularly marginal, sometimes concave, or predominantly convex; irregular; On an average broad basis.
Bunch: medium, conical-pyramidal, now winged, now elongated; compact; Average cluster length, cm 20; Herbaceous peduncle, with some suberized area, large, short, predominantly greenish; Short or very short, large, green pedicel, with average apparent or very obvious, verrucous tendon; Short brush (sometimes long), dry, predominantly colorless, red vinous towards the free end.
Acino: medium, spherical, sometimes polyhedron due to excessive clarity of the cluster; Dark blue skirt, sometimes blackish, with a regularly distributed color, very pry-like, thick and curly; Persistent and dotted navel; Meaty pulp, sweet and simple flavor; Slightly greenish juice. |
| Characteristics of the wine obtained from this grape variety |
Ruby color. In fact, the wines of Perricone in purity guarantee the elegance of the great noblemen with rare and very identifiable olfactory organoleptic qualities of the territorial kit. The nose presents itself with great personality in a spicy precious range, where juniper and black pepper are just some of the ingredients. The funds are balanced by the classic red fruits, penetrating in marasca and jams, plums and cherries, and vegetable touches worthy of great wines. Even in the mouth, the wine is noted for its extraordinary elegance, with a solid and soft tannic base, in a wide palate with a good alcohol content and the long persistence of quality products. |